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Home Affairs to start asylum appointment system by 10 November

Published

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the new biometric system will stop rejected asylum seekers from applying again. Government will also ask the courts for a supervisory order and guidance on carrying out a Constitutional Court asylum judgment.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration announced the plans at a media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday. Schreiber said the phased system will let the department add security features to prevent abuse by applicants. He said the biometric platform will verify biometrics, check previously lost asylum cases and other infringements, and test travel documents.

Schreiber said: "We will have the capabilities through the system to check whether you previously had a case that you lost, which was rejected for asylum." The committee said the system will put into practice the legal protection against refoulement that applies when a person declares an intention to seek asylum.

Committee chair Mmamoloko Kubayi said government will ask the court for a supervisory order and guidance on the judgment handed down on 7 July 2026. She said the aim is not to delay compliance but to make it effective and sustainable. A High Court hearing on conflicting directives involving government departments is set for 29 October 2026.

Home Affairs will also move refugee reception centres to ports of entry from December, starting with Beitbridge. The Minister of Home Affairs is drafting legislation that follows the Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.

Key facts

Who
Mmamoloko Kubayi (IMC Chair (Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration)); Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration (announced the measures at a media briefing); Department of Home Affairs (expected to introduce the registration system); Border Management Authority (will be instructed by Home Affairs on protection of receipt holders)
What
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration announced at a Pretoria media briefing that Government will request a supervisory order and guidance from the court on implementing the 7 July 2026 Constitutional Court judgment, and that Home Affairs will introduce a phased intention-registration and appointment system for asylum applications by 10 November 2026.
When
11 October 2026
Where
Pretoria, South Africa, Beitbridge
Status
Reported

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